The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the same week the 500th episode of the classic cartoon aired.

Groening, who created Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson in the 1980s, was joined at the ceremony on Tuesday by Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith, who voice several of the characters on the show.

The screenwriter said at the unveiling, "I want to thank Nancy Cartwright, who channelled a ten-year-old, troubled boy, the day I met her in 1987 and here's a secret about the show - whenever we run into a spot of trouble, a moment of silence, we just throw in an off screen voice of Bart Simpson saying 'Aye Carumba' and it fixes the joke."